Samuel hicks



No. 50,373. PATBNTED DEC. 11, 1866.

s. HICKS.

WATER WHEEL.

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TO ALL TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL HICKS, of. Orang'eville, in the county of Orange, and State of Indiana, have invented a new and improved Water Wheel; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,,clear,and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art, tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, inwhich Figure 1 is a plan or top view of my invention detached from the penstoek.

Figure 2, an invertedplan of the same in-the penstock. v I

Figure 3, a side sectional view of the same in the penstock, taken "in the line a: z, figs. 1 and 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in that class of water wheels which .are placed on 1 a vertical shaft, and are commonly termed horizontal water wheels. The invention consists in a novelmanner of constructing the wheel and the scroll, and arranging said parts within a penstock,as hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby a very simple, economical, and eflicient wheel is obtained; one'which will give out a larger percentage of the power of the water, and will operate favorably inback .water. l A represents a penstock, in which the scroll B of the wheel is placed. This scroll isconstru'ctedwith two inlets a a at opposite sides, as shown clearly in fig. 1. The lower part]; of th'e" scroll extends below the bottom of the penstock, as shown in fig. 3, the inlets a a being above the bottom of the penstock. C represents the shaft of the wheel, the lower end of which is stepped in a cross-bar c in theflowerpart of the scroll. This lower part b of the scroll is circular, but the upper part above the bottom of the penstock is composed'of, two eccentric or taper passages 01 d, with which the inlets a or communicate, as shown clearly in fig. l. The shaft C of the wheel is of wrought or cast iron, with an inverted conical head D firmlykeyed or otherwise secured upon it; said head having a flange e projecting horizontally from its upper end, and extending all around it.

-E are the buckets of the wheel, which have a tangential position with the shaft (hand are bolted at their upper ends to the flange e, and have their inner edges fitted in grooves in the head D. The lower parts of the buckets are curved and scolloped or hollowed out, and are of such a form as to admit of horizontal projections f being fitted in and bolted toa ring or annular iron bar F. ThebucketsE may be of wrought-iron plate of any suitable thickness, and the head l) may be of wood. The inverted conical head D causesthebuckets E to have a gradually increasing width from their upper to their lower ends, and a free discharge is allowed the water from the wheel, the water not serving, in the least, as a drag upon the wheel, and at the same'time acting upon or againstthe buckets in the most favorable manner. Foreign substances which may chance to enter the scroll are allowed to escape freely, and, in consequence of having two inlets a a at opposite sides of the wheel, the

I step and bearing of the wheel shaft is preserved from much friction. The water also flows smoothly through the wheel in an unbroken current, and in consequence of having the buckets placed tangentiallywith the wheel shaft, the water will'have a tendency to flow outward instead of inward towards the wheel shaft.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new, and desire-to secure by Letters Patent The wheel, having an inverted conical head D, with buckets E attached, curved at the lower ends, and "secured to a ring or annular bar F, substantially as described for the purpose specified.

sAMtniL HICKS.

Witnesses: J. F. PITTMAN,

, WM. VzWmrnsas. 

